


Christmas Miracles

by ToriWritesStories



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bonding, Christmas Party, Clexa, Drinking, F/F, Friendship, Octaven, Octavia is setting up Clarke and Lexa, Party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 20:31:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13131603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToriWritesStories/pseuds/ToriWritesStories
Summary: Octavia and Raven are hosting their annual Christmas party, and Octavia is set on setting up their long term friend Lexa, with their newer friend Clarke.





	Christmas Miracles

**Author's Note:**

> Hey lovelies, merry Christmas Eve!!  
> I wrote this one shot last week since I don't have a new story ready for you all!! It's just some fluff, and I hope you all enjoy it!! Check me out on Twitter @BrittzandTana to see my other links in my bio! Feel free to leave comments! Love you guys!!
> 
> Enjoy!!xx

**** “You know you’re the worst at setting people up, don’t you?” Raven asked, sipping her beer as she raised an eyebrow at her girlfriend skeptically.

“That’s not even remotely true,” Octavia denied wholeheartedly, as the Latina had expected. The other woman was plating a bunch of little sandwiches – taking them off of the store bought tray they’d come on, and putting them out on ceramic serving dishes.

Raven scoffed at the statement. Luckily, she had all the examples ready to list off. “Jasper and Monty? They did not work at  _ all _ . And Kyle and Tamara? Oh, and then you tried Jasper and Harper – and she ended up hitting it off with Monty like, way better.”

Octavia shrugged. “You’re only remembering the times that I did fuck up – but I haven’t fucked up  _ all _ of them. How about Leanne and Victor?”

“Who?”

“My coworkers, remember? Jesus, Raven, you can’t forget everyone I work with, half of them are going to be at the party tonight,” Octavia huffed out.

“Right, right, I remember. But that hardly counts – they already knew each other. This is totally different.”

“It’s not  _ totally _ different.”

“How isn’t it?”

Octavia thought for a moment, pausing over the sandwiches. “Well… it’s not like Clarke and Lexa don’t know each other at  _ all _ .”

“What do you mean? They’ve never met. It’s going to go horribly.”

“Why are you so sure about that? Lexa’s hot, Clarke’s hot. They’d be so hot together.”

Raven thought of their two friends, and while Octavia did have a point, she was still pretty sure this was a bad idea. Inviting them both to the party was fine, it was already going to be a pretty big party anyway. But inviting them with the intention of setting them up – and hyping one of them up about it –  _ that _ was where Raven saw the mistake. “What did you tell Clarke about Lexa?”

“You know, the usual. Like that she’s single, has a stable job, is looking for a relationship. Hot, reliable, good person, all that shit. And c’mon, you know that it’s hard not to like Lexa. Clarke will absolutely  _ love _ her.”

“What if Lexa doesn’t like Clarke?”

“Babe, how many people have we met while with Clarke who didn’t obviously have a crush on her when they first met her?”

“Uh, like half.”

Octavia shrugged. “Better odds than you and I had when we started to date.”

“Hey – why don’t you think we had good odds?”

“Because you liked me first, and you  _ suck _ at getting what you want. You’re lucky I started liking you back,” Octavia answered, grinning toothily at her girlfriend. She plated the last of the sandwiches and then let out a breath. “Alright, what am I forgetting?”

Shrugging off the insult to her capabilities, Raven glanced over her girlfriend’s preparations. “Dip for the chips.”

“Right! Thanks!” Octavia spun around and headed for the fridge to gather the normal ingredients to make her favorite chip dip. They still had about twenty minutes until anyone would be showing up, and even though Raven knew that no amount of time would undo the preparation Octavia had done to set up Clarke and Lexa, she felt that she at least had to convince her girlfriend it wasn’t going to work.

“You have like, a really shitty record for setting people up successfully, though, O.”

“Okay, just because it’s like four to one in favor of the people breaking up doesn’t mean that it’s shitty.”

“Babe, four to one means that you failed eighty percent of the time.”

“Don’t bring math into this.”

Raven rolled her eyes, but she was running out of energy to argue over this. It wasn’t like it mattered – when Octavia made her mind up about something, it was pretty hard to sway her. And that’s what Raven loved about her, of course. “Okay, fine. But if they don’t hit it off, you owe me.”

“More than an ‘I told you so?’”

“Yep.”

Octavia set down the spoon that she’d been using to mix up her dip, and pressed her palms onto the counter. “What’ll I owe you then?” Her tone was low now, sensual and teasing, and Raven didn’t appreciate it – they had less than twenty minutes before their place would be flooded with guests.

“I’ll let you know when it happens,” Raven answered with a sniff, sipping her beer again.

Sighing, the other woman resumed her task. “Boring.”

“I’m not about to let you get me into some compromising position right before we have people over. Not again.”

“Hey, it’s not like anyone  _ saw _ last time.”

“Yeah, but  _ I _ had to wait like, six hours before I finally got to finish.”

“Maybe you should top more often then.”

“You did not just say that.”

Octavia hit the spoon against the side of the bowl, getting as much of the dip off of it as she could before dropping it back in anyway – as if it didn’t completely counteract the previous action. “We bought more beer, right?”

Raven wasn’t even fazed by the sudden shift in conversation – it was a normal thing with them, and she kind of liked it. Talking to her girlfriend was never boring or predictable. It was what made her relationship with Octavia unique from any relationship she’d ever had previously, and what made it so much better. “Yeah, you bought a shit ton.”

“Mm, I guess I must’ve thought ahead to the fact that you’d drink all of it before the party even started.” Octavia gave the Latina a pointed look, and Raven just lifted an eyebrow.

“I’ve had  _ one _ . Anyway, the real question is did you buy enough wine? Because all of your coworkers are wine guzzlers. Are Lexa and Clarke both wine people, or are they beer people? Because if they’re both the same, it’s not going to work out.”

“Why does what kind of alcohol they prefer have to define whether or not their relationship will work out?”

“Because, I’ve dated like, five other beer drinkers, and all of those relationships crumbled. Then, I date you, a wine drinker, and lo and behold, we’ve been together for four years.”

Octavia furrowed her eyebrows at her girlfriend, opening her mouth as if to say something, and then closing it again. After a pause, she said, “Yeah, and that’s  _ just _ because I drink more wine than beer?”

“I mean, not  _ only _ that, but it must be a factor.”

“You’re ridiculous, Rae.”

“Hey, I have a point though. Also – Monty and Jasper are both beer drinkers. Harper? Wine drinker. Kyle and Tamara – both beer drinkers.”

Octavia crossed her arms over her chest in a challenging manner. “Yeah well, sorry to put a dent in your flawless logic, but Leanne and Victor are both wine drinkers.”

“Who?”

“Oh my god, fuck you.” Octavia let out a huff, turning and heading out of the kitchen as Raven smirked.

“Hey, you gotta admit, that was funny.”

“You’re impossible.”

“You seem to manage me just fine,” Raven said with a laugh, setting her beer down and turning on the swivel bar stool to look after her girlfriend, who was heading into their bedroom.

“That’s because I went to school to learn how to deal with the impossible.”

“Do court cases count as impossible?”

“Yes – you try standing up and defending people who have every bit of evidence against them,” Octavia called out in annoyance.

Knowing that she had to make up for being a prick before the party started, Raven hopped off of the bar stool and followed her girlfriend into their bedroom. The woman was looking through her necklaces, which hung from a little display rack on top of the large, dark wood dresser against the wall.

Octavia definitely knew that Raven was there, but the Latina still tread quietly as she approached her from behind. She gently pressed her front to Octavia’s back, her hands landing on the wood of the dresser on either side of her girlfriend. “You’re right, you are pretty much a miracle worker.”

“Flattery will not get you anywhere,” Octavia muttered, but the fact that her voice already sounded breathier – quieter – was indication that Raven was close to being  forgiven.

“I’m not flattering – I’m telling the truth. And who knows, maybe Lexa and Clarke will totally hit it off when they meet. I mean, I’m  _ pretty _ sure they won’t, but I guess based on your track record, they have a twenty percent chance of being just as happy as Leanne and Victor – even if they are both wine drinkers.”

“You’re actually a pain in the ass, you know?”

“I know, but I’m  _ your _ pain in the ass,” Raven murmured, pressing her lips to Octavia’s exposed shoulder gently. She heard her girlfriend sigh, felt her body relax in front of her.

“Yeah, yeah,” the woman agreed. “Help me pick a necklace – my neck is too bare.”

Raven looked forward again, scanning over the options in front of her girlfriend. She found the one she was looking for – one that she had given to Octavia earlier that year for her birthday. “That one,” she said nonchalantly, hoping that she didn’t sound too pleading. Thankfully, Octavia didn’t question it, simply grabbing the piece of jewelry and unclasping it. Raven took a step back, helping the brunette put it, clasping it under her dark hair.

Octavia turned around, waiting for Raven’s approval of her completed look, and the Latina grinned. “You look beautiful.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Octavia replied, a small smile appearing on her face. “Okay, I’m going to go get the desserts out of the freezer so they’re not still frozen by the time everyone eats them.” She walked past Raven and out of the bedroom, and Raven chuckled softly to herself.

She heard the freezer open, and as her girlfriend worked at her task, Raven glanced down at the dresser. She quietly opened the top, right drawer – it was her underwear drawer, a place that Octavia definitely didn’t frequent on a day to day basis. In the very back of the drawer was where Raven kept her period panties – the cheaper ones that she didn’t mind risking at that time of the month. And, stuffed in that pile of underwear, where Raven was grasping now, was a little, velvet red box, inside of which was a ring. A ring that had been designed alongside a necklace – the one now sitting around Octavia’s neck. She’d had the ring since getting that necklace before Octavia’s birthday, and  _ damn _ was she ready to finally give it to her girlfriend.

She slipped the box into her pants pocket, grateful that she wasn’t a much of a dress person as her girlfriend was. Granted, she did  _ like _ dresses, but she wore pantsuits almost as often, which meant she hadn’t needed any sort of excuse to wear one for this Christmas party.

A sudden knocking at the door interrupted Raven’s thoughts.

“Babe, can you let them in?” Octavia called, and Raven immediately straightened up.

“Yep, I can do that,” she confirmed, hurrying out of the bedroom and closing its door behind her.

Their house was a rather nice size, which was made possible by the fact that between the two of them, their income was not a small number. Octavia had been a practicing defense attorney for some years now – and a pretty good one at that – and Raven was on her way to getting tenured at UCLA. They were both still young – Raven having just pushed thirty and Octavia right behind her – but they’d both excelled in university and made their start in their respective careers as soon as they’d finished school.

The party was taking place in the main part of the house – the big, open living room and conjoined kitchen. There was a partially connected dining room across from the kitchen – on the opposite side of the living room – but since there wasn’t a real meal being served, it was likely to only be used for guest overflow. In the corner of the large living room was a spiral staircase that led to the second floor, but that was also probably not going to be used much. All that was up there was their spare guest bedroom, their separated offices, and a room that Octavia had dubbed their “relaxation room,” and it was the one room in the house where they were not allowed to talk about work.

Raven quite liked their little piece of the world – and so did a lot of other people, hence the reason that it always became the party spot. Although, that was also largely because of the fact that Octavia just loved to have people over. Raven liked it too, but she would never think to host an actual party if it weren’t for her girlfriend.

She swung open their front door with a smile on her face, recognizing these first guests as some of Octavia’s coworkers. “Hey! Come on in! Octavia’s just finishing pulling some stuff out of the fridge.”

* * *

Clarke was not really one for big parties – at least not the kind of parties that her friend Octavia liked throwing. Post-college, Clarke never really went to parties of any kind, that was until she booked her first art show and her at the time twenty-one year old brother Aden had thrown her one at his apartment. But, seeing as how he’d still been a college kid himself at the time, that party had been the same old same old for Clarke.  And she hadn’t known any of the people there – aside from one or two maybe.

Since then, she tried to avoid partying. She was too focused on her career – it took a  _ lot _ of time to continuously produce artwork, do commissions, and do freelance art, and if she fell short on doing any of it, it would jeopardize her income, which would jeopardize her rent, and that was not going to happen. She’d almost had to move back in with her parents once before, and that was never going to happen again – especially not now that she was nearly thirty years old.

Thankfully, her system had been working out better and better as the years passed, but about seven months earlier, she’d met Octavia Blake at one of her art shows. The woman had been looking at one of her art pieces, and they’d stuck up a conversation, and Clarke had realized something she had been missing as she navigated the world of adulthood – a  _ friend _ . Most of her friends from college had moved away since graduation or had simply drifted away. Sure, they all kept in touch online, but it was different than having a physical person to hang out with every now and then.

Of course, Octavia was not really free often. She was an attorney, after all, so she was crazy busy all of the time. Plus, the fact that she was in a relationship meant that most of her free time was spent with her girlfriend. But all of that said, Octavia and Clarke had become fast friends, and when she’d been invited over to her house for the first time, she’d also hit if off with Raven Reyes – the totally badass and hilarious college professor whom Octavia had been dating for four years.

So it wasn’t super surprising when about a month before, Octavia had extended to Clarke an invitation to attend her annual Christmas party. She’d explained that it was a  _ general _ Christmas party, in that she invited people from her work, Raven’s work, and their personal lives around for food, drinks, and fun – a night off. It was a  _ classy _ sort of party, Clarke had realized, which was probably a good thing. Even still, she couldn’t shake the image of all of her college parties in the past.

Since receiving that invitation, Octavia had mentioned a woman who was also supposed to be at the party – Lexa Woods. Clarke had heard about Lexa a couple of times from Octavia or Raven. She was one of Raven’s friends from college, one of the few who had stuck around in LA after graduating. She worked at USC, and although Clarke couldn’t quite remember what Octavia had said she did there, she knew for a fact that Lexa was not a professor. After supplying that minimal amount of information, Octavia had informed Clarke that Lexa was single, ready to mingle, and very hot. She especially emphasized that last point.

Clarke was definitely not opposed to meeting this Lexa Woods, but she wasn’t really counting on anything coming from the Christmas party. It was a classy party, where well behaved adults talked pleasantly about jobs and weather and food, and that was not really Clarke’s forte. So she was sure that she wouldn’t really hit it off with anyone there, but she would  _ try _ , if only to keep herself from hanging around the hosts too much.

When she parked on the street in front of Octavia and Raven’s house, she wasn’t really surprised to see quite a few other cars already parked around the area. Even though it wasn’t particularly late yet, it was getting darker outside already – a consequence of the winter months, cold or not. The darkness outside made it more apparent of the life inside the house, with the windows glowing warmly and Christmas lights strung across the top of the house. There was a balcony upstairs, connected to the sitting room Raven and Octavia had up there, and Christmas lights hung there as well, glistening brightly and changing colors between white, green, and red.

Clarke closed and locked her car door, slipping her keys into her dress pocket where her phone was already residing. Investing in a dress with pockets was one of the best things she’d ever done, because not having to lug around a purse made going to events so much easier.

She made her way up to the front door, grabbing the fancy little knocker and thumping it a couple of times before waiting to be let in. Just a couple of moments later, the door opened to reveal Octavia, wearing a black dress, white pumps, and a glittering crystal necklace. “Clarke! You made it!” The woman grabbed the blonde in a quick hug before stepping back and letting her in. “You look so nice, I love your dress!”

“Thank you,” Clarke said with a smile, “you look really good, too.”

“Thanks. I almost forgot to pick a necklace to wear, though,” Octavia admitted with a laugh. “So, food and drinks are in the kitchen, we have beer and wine – red and white – so just take whatever you want. Oh, and  _ Lexa _ is here, so I need to –“ Another knock at the door interrupted the brunette. “Hold on, shit – go get yourself a drink and I’ll come talk to you in a few.”

Clarke laughed at her friend, nodding and heading over toward the kitchen.

Oddly, the downstairs of the Blake-Reyes residence seemed larger when it was filled with people. There were probably about twenty people already in the living area, and with more people coming, Clarke was sure that it would be quite a full party. That wasn’t really surprising, though. Clarke hadn’t ever met anyone who maintained as many friendships as Octavia Blake.

Making her way into the kitchen, Clarke spotted the little, clear plastic plates stacked up next to the platters of sandwiches and snacks. On another counter were multiple bottles of wine – red and white, as Octavia had promised – and also many bottles of three different kinds of beer. Little plastic cups were stacked next to all of the bottles as well.

She went for a drink first, thinking that it would be nice to take the edge off. She didn’t know anybody here, and it was stressing her out a bit already. She grabbed one of the little plastic cups and poured herself a generous glass of the chardonnay, before bringing to up to her lips and taking a long sip.

The alcohol warmed her throat as she swallowed, and with that taken care of, she decided to grab herself a small plate of food as well. No drinking on a empty stomach – especially not at her friends’ fancy party. Once she was loaded up on her party snacks, Clarke searched the room to see if either Raven or Octavia were free for her to join them. However, it seemed like Raven was wrapped up in conversation with a couple of men wearing slacks and button downs, and Octavia was at the door letting yet another group of people in.

So she parked herself at the bar, sitting in one of the bar stools and hoping that she didn’t look too ridiculous, sitting there alone as she took a bite of her little sandwich.

Only about a forty seconds later, though, a woman was walking into the kitchen, passing Clarke and grabbing her attention. The woman had long, wavy, brown hair, some parts of it seeming to have been intentionally curled while the rest just fell naturally. Clarke didn’t meant to stare, but the instant she saw the woman’s face, she felt her eyes widen. The woman was absolutely beautiful – breathtaking – and Clarke could stare for hours.

Except if she did that, it would be considered creepy, and as soon as the woman’s gaze rose to meet Clarke’s, the blonde forced herself to act normal. “Hey there,” the woman said pleasantly. “Enjoying the party?”

There it was – the boring, classy party talk. “I just got here, but it’s nice.”

“Mm. I kind of wish there was something stronger than beer here,” the woman said, uncapping the bottle she’d just grabbed from the other counter. She set the bottle opener back on the counter and brought the beer to her lips.

“Why? You aren’t enjoying the party?”

The woman made a face, as if realizing that she’d misspoken, as she swallowed her drink. “Oh – no, I am,” she said as soon as her mouth was empty. “Just… ugh, my ex is here, and I should’ve expected her to be here, because she works with Octavia. But I just wasn’t thinking about it, and then I got sucked into conversation with her… and well, let’s just say I could use a shot right about now.”

Clarke smiled sympathetically at the brunette. “I guess you could just chug all of the beers – at some point that equates to a couple of shots.”

The woman laughed. “Yeah, well. I’m not trying to look like a crazy person, and if I really needed the alcohol that bad, I’d just go upstairs and steal Raven’s liquor.”

“Doesn’t she keep it in a locked fridge or something?”

“Yes, but know a girl long enough and you learn a thing or two about her – including passkeys,” the woman said with a smirk. Clarke felt another smile spread across her face. “Oh shit, I just realized I don’t even know your name.”

“Clarke,” the blonde answered quickly. “And you are?”

“I’m –“

“Lexa!” came Octavia’s voice suddenly, interrupting the beautiful brunette. “Hey! I was just looking for you and – oh hey, Clarke! You already met Lexa!”

Clarke’s mouth opened into an O shape as she realized that this was the woman Octavia had been planning on setting her up with. She wasn’t exactly sure if Lexa had been similarly informed on what Clarke was like, but she was thinking probably not, since Lexa had not seemed fazed by hearing the blonde’s name.

Clarke didn’t know what to say in response to Octavia, so she just nodded, and her friend grinned. “Cool, well, I need to go say hi to Monty and Harper, but you two keep on talking.” Octavia spun around and disappeared once again, and Clarke looked back at Lexa, who was clearly amused by their host’s behavior.

“She never stops moving,” Lexa insisted, shaking her head and bringing the beer back to her lips.

“You’re not wrong there,” Clarke agreed. She imitated Lexa’s movements and took another sip of her wine before tossing a chip into her mouth. She was trying to keep her eyes from lingering on Lexa for too long, but she needed to get a full assessment. Yes, Octavia had told her that Lexa was hot, but she’d failed to mention that hot meant simultaneously beyond beautiful and extremely sexy. But Clarke was sure that she would be caught if she observed too much, so she tried to focus on Lexa’s face – or simply anywhere else in the room.

“How do you know Octavia and Raven?”

“Oh, I met Octavia at one of my art shows earlier this year,” Clarke answered. “I guess she was there after a long day at work – the venue was nearby her office downtown – and she and I just started talking and hit it off.”

“ _ Oh _ , the art friend.” Clarke lifted her eyebrows, wondering if Octavia actually had given Lexa a rundown of the blonde beforehand. “Raven mentioned you the last time she and I grabbed lunch. I guess she just never said your name.” Clarke let out a breath of relief at hearing that Lexa had heard about her from Raven and not Octavia. “I’ve known Raven since college – she and I both wanted to go into education, so we were in a couple of the same classes. But she ended up actually becoming a professor, and I decided to stick to more of the organizational stuff.”

“So what is it that you do, then?” Clarke wondered, leaning forward against the counter.

“I work as part of the administration at USC – organizing events and that kind of thing. I’m considering becoming a student advising counselor at some point in the future, but for now, I’m sticking with what I know,” Lexa said with a chuckle. “How about you? Painting, right?”

* * *

“Okay, so maybe this one wasn’t a fuck up,” Raven murmured under her breath to her girlfriend, who was standing next to her and trying to look casual rather than making it obvious that they were stalking Clarke and Lexa. The two women had been in the kitchen talking for the past half hour or so since Octavia had left them there, and the brunette was elated.

“I told you, I don’t  _ suck _ at this. Look at them – they can’t take their eyes off of each other.”

“But also,” Raven whispered, “I would like to point out… Clarke, wine drinker. Lexa, beer drinker. I told you. Opposites.”

“Whatever, babe, that literally doesn’t matter.”

“But I told you.”

“Hey, O,” someone interrupted suddenly, drawing their attention. It was Jasper, who was standing by the coffee table in the living room, talking to Monty, Harper, and a couple of their other friends. “What was that one story you always used to tell? The one about Raven – something about a grocery store…”

Raven let out a groan as Octavia practically lit up. “Oh, you mean the one where she got us kicked out of a grocery store?”

“ _ Right _ ,” Monty said, remembering. “I couldn’t remember whether you guys had gotten kicked out, or you got banned, or what.”

“This is so not the night for reminiscing about dumb shit like that,” Raven claimed, shaking her head as she took a sip from her beer.

“Why not?” Harper asked with a laugh.

“Honestly, though,” Nathan started, “I still can’t believe that it’s been over four years since you guys got together. Not going to lie, I did not think you would last that long.”

“What? Why?” Raven asked in horror as Octavia snickered.

“I don’t know, it just seemed like somewhat of a clash. And Raven, you used to talk to like, two people regularly – me and Jasper,” Nathan explained with a shrug. “It just seemed like relationships weren’t really your thing. Everyone you dated was gone in like, a month.”

“Yes, yes, I sucked at relationships before Octavia, we all know this,” Raven muttered in annoyance. Her girlfriend laughed, wrapping her arm around the Latina’s waist and softening the expression on Raven’s face.

“I keep telling her that she’s lucky I started liking her back after we met, because or else she would’ve never ended up trying hard enough to get me.”

“You don’t know that,” Raven whined, pouting at her girlfriend.

“Uh yes, Rae, I do.”

* * *

“Should I do another chardonnay, or something sweeter?” Clarke wondered, glancing at the wine options on the counter.

Lexa hummed thoughtfully, as if trying to make Clarke’s decision for her, before just admitting, “To be honest, I’m the biggest wimp with wine. I have no idea why, but I can’t stand dry wine. I can take shots and drink beer, but if I’m having wine, it’s gotta be sweet.”

A teasing smile rose to Clarke’s lips. “Seriously?” Lexa nodded shyly. “Like how sweet, though?”

“Like, really sweet. Like it’s to the point where I wish Moscato d’Asti wasn’t so often counted as dessert wine so I’d feel less like a wimp when I order it at restaurants with my dinner,” Lexa said, and Clarke was surprised to see redness appearing on her cheeks. “But like I said, I can deal with pretty much any other alcohol.”

“You don’t have to try and act all tough now,” Clarke teased, “you’ve already exposed yourself.”

“Fuck, you’re right.” Lexa furrowed her eyebrows as if to look upset, but only a second later, a smile was spreading across her face. Her sharp, green eyes were focused intensely on Clarke’s blue ones, and the blonde was finding it quite hypnotizing. “I hope you’re not planning on exposing me for the weirdo I am to everyone at this party.”

“Hmm, not just yet,” Clarke teased, standing up from the bar stool. Her plate of food was empty now, as was her plastic cup, and she needed her refill. But first, she grabbed the empty plate and stepped around the counter and into the kitchen, slipping past Lexa to toss the thing into the trash.

“So what’ll it be…” Lexa turned around, leaning her back against the counter now as Clarke approached the alcohol counter. “…sweet or dry?”

“I think I’ll stick with dry,” Clarke decided, chuckling as she poured herself another glass of the chardonnay. “I need to savor the good wine that Octavia and Raven have here. I buy cheap boxed wine for my apartment, so.”

“That’s all too relatable,” Lexa said with a grin. “And yes, mooching off friends is always the way to go.”

“That’s what they’re here for, isn’t it?”

“Obviously.”

Suddenly, the guests began to get quiet, and Clarke and Lexa both turned to face the living area, where Octavia and Raven were standing, waiting to get most people’s attention. Clarke had to remind herself once again that this was a  _ classy _ party, and that of course the hosts would have to say something to their guests.

Octavia was the one to speak, unsurprisingly. “Hey everyone, we wanted to thank you all for coming tonight. I know we’re all leading busy lives – with work and everything we all do every day – but it’s always so great to be able to come together and just hang out for a night. We hope you’re all enjoying the snacks and the drinks – and if you didn’t notice, there are some holiday desserts in the corner of the kitchen – that is, if Clarke and Lexa haven’t eaten them all while they’ve been in the kitchen.”

Clarke rolled her eyes, a blush coming to her cheeks as Octavia made eye contact with her.

“Anyway, we just wanted to say thank you, and –“

“Oh, actually,” Raven interrupted, “sorry, I have something to say real quick.” Octavia gave her girlfriend a curious look, but obviously didn’t stop her from speaking, so she continued. “So, as most of you know, Octavia’s the one who organized this party – just like she does every year, and for every other party. She even organizes her own birthday parties, even though I’m always supposed to do it. And, as per usual, she did an amazing job at it. We’ve known most of you for a  _ long _ time, and some of you have known one of us longer than the other, but I know that no matter what, you all would agree with me if I say that Octavia is incredible – truly one of a kind.”

Octavia’s cheeks flushed dark red and there were a few happy calls of agreement from around the room.

“So while everyone definitely appreciates my incredible girlfriend, no one is as grateful to her as I am.” Raven turned her attention fully to Octavia. “She brightens up my life just by simply being a part of it, and the fact that she goes above and beyond in everything she does makes that even more rewarding. It’s the most incredible feeling to be able to wake up every morning next to her and realize, time and time again, how lucky I am to have her. And yeah, yeah, O, you’ve been telling me that all day and ever since we first started dating. But you’re entirely right, and well…”

Raven’s voice drifted off as she reached into her pocket, and the entire room full of people inhaled sharply at the exact same time as she retrieved from it a little, red, velvet box. Octavia brought her hand to her mouth, covering it in surprise as Raven dropped down on one knee.

“I really am the luckiest girl in the world to get to call you mine, Octavia. You light up my life, and you make every moment so full of energy and happiness. I never want to go a day without having you as mine, so… would you do me the honor of being mine forever?” She opened the little box to reveal a ring, and Clarke could see tears streaking down Octavia’s face.

“Oh my –” the brunette moved her hand away from her mouth to wipe away the tears. “Of course – yes – oh my – yes!”

Raven stood now, grinning as she took the ring out of the box. Octavia extended her left hand to her girlfriend – or her fiancée now – and Raven slipped the ring onto her ring finger. Then the Latina pulled Octavia closer for a sweet kiss, and the room erupted into applause.

Lexa looked to Clarke. “It’s about time, huh?”

“I guess so,” Clarke said with a shrug, but she was, of course, smiling brightly for the couple.

“Right, you haven’t known them all that long,” Lexa remembered with a nod, looking back at the engaged couple. “Raven’s been planning this for like, six months. She was terrified to do it at this party, but she knew how much it would mean to Octavia – because that girl  _ loves _ being surrounded by the people she loves.”

“I always thought that proposing to someone in front of a bunch of people would make them feel more pressured to say yes,” Clarke admitted, tearing her attention away from Octavia and Raven now and focusing back on Lexa.

“I get that,” Lexa said with a slow nod, “but I think for them, it wasn’t really about whether or not Octavia would say yes. They’re as good as married by now anyway. This just makes it closer to official, you know?”

“Yeah, I guess.” And Clarke did get it, kind of. The thing was, she hadn’t been in a serious relationship in years, so the whole concept was a bit far removed from her at the moment. “I’ve been single for a while, so I guess I just don’t really remember what that feels like – to be so  _ sure _ about being with someone.”

“Oh, really?”

Clarke lifted an eyebrow. “You sound very surprised.”

“I am. I mean, because you’re just so…” Lexa glanced over Clarke from head to toe for what was probably only a second, but felt a whole lot longer. “Ah, you’re so beautiful, and nice, and I’m just surprised that you’ve been single for a while.”

“I work a lot,” Clarke offered.

“Unless this party is the only bit of free time you can come up with, that’s not really the most valid excuse,” Lexa said, an amused smile appearing on her lips. “We all have the same amount of time available to us – the difference is what we  _ make _ time for.”

Clarke laughed lightly, glancing down at her plastic cup of wine. “Okay, you’re not wrong. That is just my half assed excuse. I really just don’t get out a lot. Octavia and Raven are like, the first friends I’ve had in awhile. I usually just work, sleep, eat. I see my brother and my parents quite a bit. But my social life has gone pretty downhill the past couple of years.”

Lexa smiled and lifted an eyebrow slightly. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to help you with that.”

“Oh?” Clarke asked quietly, feeling her heart rate pick up all of the sudden.

“Mmhmm. Let me take you out next weekend. We can grab dinner and then go out for drinks, if you want. I’ll remind you what it’s like to have a nice social life,” Lexa said teasingly, wearing a hopeful expression across her face.

Clarke felt her cheeks getting warmer. “I think I could make time for that.”

-

Raven crawled into bed late that night, ready to fall fast asleep and recharge after all of the social activity that had gone on – not to mention the cleaning up that had followed. But she couldn’t sleep without Octavia by her side, so she ended up lying there for about five minutes while her  _ fiancée  _ finished getting ready in the bathroom.

When Octavia did finally join the Latina in bed, she said at the same time, “Clarke texted me. She got Lexa’s number and they’re going on a date next weekend.”

“Hopefully it’ll work out, so you can finally say that your matchmaking worked.”

“Hey, it’s worked before. We literally just talked about –“

“Leanne and Victor, I know, babe.” Raven let out a quiet laugh as Octavia huffed, adjusting her position on the mattress, trying to get comfortable. “Sorry, I just have so much fun messing with you.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” Octavia muttered.

Raven scooted toward her fiancée, wrapping her arms around the brunette, who immediately melted into her hold. “Today you agreed to have messing with you for the rest of our lives.”

“Yes, I did do that.”

“Are you rethinking it?”

Octavia laughed. “Uh, no. Why? Are you rethinking asking me?”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been planning to ask you for most of this year. Didn’t you notice how your ring matches that necklace I gave you?”

“Nope, I was too busy trying not to cry a river at my annual Christmas party.”

“Am I supposed to apologize for making you cry by proposing to you at your annual Christmas party?”

“No – I just have so much fun messing with you.”

“Ugh.”

“Ugh yourself.”

Raven smiled, holding her fiancée impossibly closer. “I love you, babe.”

“I love you too, Rae. Now go to sleep, I know you’re exhausted from communicating with other humans.”

“You know me so well.”


End file.
